


Bleeding Out

by I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: I haven't seen Hawaii Five O in fucking ages, but I found this on my computer completed, so I have no idea what's been going on since forever, so here you go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 10:59:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13611954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own/pseuds/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own
Summary: "You'll be the death of me, Steven."





	Bleeding Out

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be doing Evil Author Day this year, since I have so many WIPS that I wanna put out there even if it's for the express purpose of just being fucking evil, but in the course of finding said WIPS, I stumbled across this and was annoyed that it was complete and not already out there, so here.

_Oh, you tell me to hold on_   
_Oh, you tell me to hold on_   
_But innocence is gone_   
_And what was right is wrong_   
_~Bleeding Out, Imagine Dragons_

* * *

He’s seen a lot of people die over the course of his career, some of them he’s even killed himself, and all of them changed him in some way, but never like this, and he wants to know why. He wants to know why chemicals in his brain are the deciding factor on how much of his heart gets torn out of his chest with every death he sees. He wants to know why chemicals in his brain are the reason he feels like something cold has grabbed hold of his heart and is trying to tear it, in its entirety, out of his chest.

His hands press down on gaping wounds and become so stained with red that he questions how they’ll ever be clean again. His mouth opens, and his voice kicks in before his brain has a chance to figure out what to say. Nonsense comes out. “Hey, hey, shh. Shh, you’re alright. You’re alright.” He’s not alright. Neither of them are alright. Nothing is alright, but clearly his voice box hasn’t gotten the message because he still keeps on with the nonsense. “It’s alright, you’re alright. I’m here. It’s okay. Shh.”

Trembling hands reach out for him, blindly landing upon his arm and squeezing with all the strength of a new-born kitten, and he tries to ignore how a sharp pain seems to stab him through the heart. “It’s alright. You’re alright.” And his mouth seems to be the only part of him that hasn’t gotten the memo, because his eyes are so full of tears he can barely see through them, and his hands are locked in place only through experience and muscle memory, he’s done this so many times before. His chest feels tight, his heart is aching and his lungs are burning, and there is a voice repeating over and over in his head that things are not alright, but those are not the words that make it out of his mouth.

“It’s alright. It’s okay. Stay with me, it’s alright.” It’s so far from alright.

Suddenly there is a commotion all around him, and people pulling at him, talking at him, trying to get him to let go. But he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to because he’s so certain that if he lets go, if he removes his hands, it’s all over. And he can’t let things end that way.

“Boss? Boss? Steve! Commander McGarret!” he jerks at the demand for attention, and slowly his eyes wander up to Kono who gives him a smile that he thinks is meant to be reassuring but is anything but, it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You need to let the paramedics in, boss.”

“I can’t. Danny-“

“Danny needs the paramedics now, boss. You’ve done everything you can, but it’s their turn now, and you need to let them in.” Steve frowns at her, slowly turns his head and looks down at his friend, then down at the _red, red, red_ all over his hands, and he nods dumbly.

“Okay.” He says, but he doesn’t move. Kono grabs him under his shoulders and pulls him up and away, allowing the medics to rush in. Steve doesn’t protest as Kono drags him out of the way, Steve’s legs collapsing the moment Kono stops pulling. His eyes are drawn to his hands and his breath catches in his throat.

“Hey, boss. Look at me.” Kono tries, but Steve is so lost to her now, his focus on the _red, red, red, red_ on his hands.

“He said it so many times.” Steve whispers, eyes wide, and hands red.

“Who said what?” Kono asks, trying to keep her own distress out of her voice.

“Danny. Said I’d be the death of him.” Steve admits, voice so quiet Kono has to lean forward to hear it.

“Oh, boss. You know he didn’t mean it.”

“But it’s true.” Steve says, staring so intently at the red on his hands. Kono opens her mouth to say something else, before her words are swallowed in her throat, and tears spring up in her eyes.

“Oh my God. Danny, no.” Kono whispers, and Steve lifts his head at the sound, before slowly turning to see what is going on behind him, the breath gushes out of him like a kick to the gut at what he sees.

Max and his assistant, who’d been called to the scene for the criminals, carefully cover Danny with a sheet, and Steve feels like his life has just ended with Danny’s. He tries to swallow his sobs, but he’s unsuccessful, and he turns away, choking on his cries.

He’s seen so many people die over the course of his life, some of them even died by his own hand. They all chipped away at pieces of his heart, and changed him in some way. But never like this.

* * *

_I_ _'m bleeding out  
So if the last thing that I do  
Is bring you down  
I'll bleed out for you  
So I bare my skin  
And I count my sins  
And I close my eyes  
And I take it in  
I'm bleeding out  
I'm bleeding out for you, for you._   
_~Bleeding Out, Imagine Dragons_


End file.
